Flunk-Ed
by The Pen Vs The Sword
Summary: When Marie faces being held back a year due to poor grades, it'll be up to Edd to help her raise them. Even if he has to cheat the system. Sequel to Chemical Ed-traction. Marie/Edd.
1. Chapter 1: Grade Ed Poorly

**A/N:** Didn't expect this, did you?

**Pen:** Why is it just when I'm almost free of this, you drag me back into it?

Because if Sword is going to pester me all day and night and keep me up with ideas, you're going to deal with it too.

**Sword:** Yeah! This'll be fun! And I haven't even told you about my 67-part Supernatural crossover idea!

Let's stick to one thing at a time, shall we? As usual, Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy belong to Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please do not use without permission. Please enjoy.

**Chapter 1** **– Grade Ed Poorly**

"That'll be $7.66," Edd told the customer, printing off the on-screen order and attaching the ticket a metal clip behind him. He spun the wheel of clips, sending the ticket to the back kitchen, then turned to the next person in line. "May I take your order, sir?"

"Yeah, can I get two number sixes," the next person said, staring slack-jawed at the menu above Edd's head. "A number six large, uh, a number four with extra sauce, a number one, two number fives, one with cheese, and a diet soda."

Edd finished tallying the amount and delivered his best gap-toothed smile. "$36.98, sir." Another ticket printed and attached to the clips.

"Order up!" the cook behind him shouted.

"I got it!" May skated from the other side of the restaurant with all the grace of a hippo on stilts, still crashing and slamming into chairs, tables, and people after all their months working here. The wall broke her high-speed roller-skating, knocking yet another tile loose that she quickly picked up and wedged back into place before grabbing the tray of food.

Edd shook his head. At least there wasn't a dull moment working alongside May. The atmosphere of the Café 50's wasn't really for him – a fast food restaurant done up like a soda joint, but not very well. The checkerboard floor blended with the red booths and stools, and neon jukeboxes belting out the likes of Elvis and Chuck Berry all day, but only because they were all so tacky, they somehow meshed together. The waitresses all wore poodle skirts and old-fashioned roller skates, tending to drop more food than they served, while Edd was forced to wear a paper cap on top of his beanie and a white uniform that he kept fastidiously clean, the same outfit for all those behind the counter.

May's constant antics kept him entertained. The blonde zipped all over the place, balancing tray after tray, and seemingly always delivered the food successfully. He didn't know how she did it, but he admired her coordination.

The chef laid another set of food, this in a paper bag, with a couple of drinks beside it on the counter separating the registers and the kitchen. Edd checked the receipt and searched for the familiar name in the restaurant. "Nazz!"

The girl poked her head up from conversation with her boyfriend, Kevin, and squeezed through the crowd. Before giving her the food, Edd snatched another fry from the kitchen, stuffing it into the bag. After how Nazz had helped him enter the best relationship of his life, he was only too happy to sneak her free food.

"Thanks, Double Dee," she said, rummaging through the order. Kevin slunk up to the counter as well, wearing his usual unimpressed face, and a frown reserved for the Ed's.

"No problem," he said, ignoring Kevin much to his own misfortune. Before he could blink, cold soda seeped into his uniform, through his undershirt, and froze his stomach and legs. He seized up, taking stock of the brown liquid staining his perfectly kept shirt while Kevin laughed.

"Whoops. Butterfingers," he said unconvincingly and shook his now empty cup. "Can I get a refill?"

Edd grabbed fistfuls of napkins, futilely wiping the stain that he would have to painstakingly clean out tonight. "One moment, sir," he said, taking the cup and refilling it. He had the strong urge to spit in it, but restrained himself. _That's something Eddy would do._

He handed the drink back to Kevin and the pair left, Nazz offering him a sympathetic "Sorry" for the incident. As they exited, Edd shivered again while the soda chilled him. One would think that the years would lighten Kevin up, especially since the Ed's hadn't tried to cheat him out of any money in a long time. But for whatever reason, his attitude toward them remained the same. Worse in some instances, and Edd couldn't figure what he had done recently to earn such ire.

With his last customer taken care of, Edd watched May skate over to him, crashing into the counter and pulling herself up on shaky legs. "Woah, what happened to you?"

"Nothing," he said, tossing the wads of used napkins.

"How much longer do we have?"

"Fifteen minutes," he said, checking the clock.

"Ugh," she said. "I really need to quit this job! This was supposed to be just for the summer!"

True, he and May had each secured these jobs this past summer after finishing their freshman year, as had the other Ed's and her sisters in nearby stores. A bit of extra money never hurt. But as summer rolled to an end and the new school year started, all of them found they liked having extra spending money on hand.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about quitting too," Edd said. He had promised he would save up enough for the school year, then the holidays rolled around, necessitating more money, then Valentine's Day with its demands for gifts, not to mention birthdays and anniversaries. And now, with summer only a couple of months away, part of him argued that he may as well stick it out and keep his position.

Yet his body terribly ached nonstop these days. "Between this and my advanced classes, I haven't been getting much sleep." _Not to mention homework and chores._ He felt like there weren't enough hours in the day and had seriously considered cutting back on sleep. Yet that was a short-term, misguided solution for sure. He could feel the bags dragging his eyes down and every customer-friendly face strained his cheek muscles more and more. With any less sleep, he would fall apart.

May blew a raspberry at him. "You're smart! You'll get through it," she said, completely unaware of how intense the advanced classes could be. "I need to pass English. I'm failing already. If I don't learn to write goodly, I won't pass."

Edd winced at the mangling of the English language. "Have you tried a tutor?"

"When would I have time?" she asked. "And I don't have the money. I need to work here for the money, but then I don't have the time."

"I could help," he offered, but she laughed at that.

"Yeah, right. You and Marie can't even bring yourselves to study. Whenever you try, you two are always distracting one another." She jammed a finger in his chest, her buck-teeth grinning deviously. "Don't think we don't know. The walls in our trailer are _very_ thin."

He hid his reddened cheeks as another customer approached and ordered a soda. May wasn't incorrect, per se, he admitted to himself. But he did think he had a little more control over himself than that.

Then again, he was anxiously looking forward to the end of his shift because of Marie. As much fun as it was working with May, he was counting each second until he could leave. Marie's face drifted into view, winking at him, and his bones seemed to melt in his arms. How was it that after a year, the mere thought of her could continue to turn his mind into lovesick mush?

"Aw, thinking about my sister again?" May asked, head propped in her hands and staring at Edd, breaking the spell. "That's adorable." She reached up and pinched his cheek, jerking his head. "Now I expect some grandbabies from you there, sonny," she said, speaking like an old grandparent.

"Cut it out," he said. Then he spied the clock. "We're done."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw a massive tangle of blond hair, skates, and poodle skirt flail to the check-out clock. Then May tore off her skates, threw open the door, and chucked them into the street. She breathed a sigh of relief, wiggling her toes in the open air as Edd clocked out as well.

They grabbed their belongings in the back of the restaurant, then snuck out some hamburgers and fries with the help of the cook, who kept an eye out for the roaming manager as May and Edd shoved them in bags.

Once outside, Edd started to walk across the street, but May dragged him to the record store next door, picking up her discarded skates on the way. "Hold on! I just saw Big Ed go in there!"

Shoved roughly through the door, gripping the bags for fear of dropping the food, Edd was assaulted by posters of the latest albums and artists plastered all over the wall, covering up last month's biggest hits, and the ones before that. He wouldn't be surprised to find artist posters from the 60's if he peeled back enough layers.

Rows and rows of albums, CD's, DVD's, and more stocked the waist-high shelves. A few regulars milled around, teenagers checked out the newest albums from their favorite bands, and some older, grungier adults, tattooed from head to toe picked up and examined items in the corners. In the background, the radio was playing a countdown of the number one songs that week.

At the counter, Lee watched Ed lifting a door and carrying it to the back room by himself. She perked up when the bell rung above the door. Her massive tower of red curls may have hid her eyes, but not her drooling mouth. Edd knew what she had zeroed in on when they walked in.

May placed her bag on the counter and Lee immediately dug in. The smell wafted through the store and Edd mentally counted down to himself. _Three…Two…One…_

Ed poked his head through the door. "Double Dee! May!" He dropped the door in the back room, ran to the counter, completely bypassing May's outstretched arms for a hug, and grabbed his food.

"Gotta love a man with an appetite," she said, as if expecting this. She draped an arm around his neck while he ate and spilled grease and ketchup everywhere. She patted his head and he nuzzled into her side, like an affectionate, messy dog. Edd and Lee exchanged a glance, neither still seeing the attraction for either, but not questioning it either.

"Been busy today?" Edd asked.

"Not really- Hang on," Lee dropped her sandwich and marched over to the door, standing between it and a couple of younger teenagers. She grabbed each of them by the shirt and leered in their faces. "Empty your pockets. Now." She lifted them off the ground for emphasis.

Shaking, the two boys emptied their jeans of a couple of albums they had attempted to steal. Once she was satisfied, Lee threw them out the door. "Don't let me catch you in here again!" She muttered curses to herself, picking up the albums and placing them behind the counter for sorting later. "Second time this week," she said.

"Lucky they have you," Edd said. "Ed, how's the lumber yard?"

Ed looked up, mouthful of fries, and mumbled something unintelligible, but that sounded like things were normal.

"Well, I better get these across the street before they get cold," Edd said, holding up the other bag of food. "I'll see you later."

"Tell that little weasel of mine to come see me on his break," Lee said as he left.

Looking both ways, Edd hurried across the street and down the block to the mattress store, which was, as usual, dead during the week. Mattresses of all kinds of quality and marked up prices lined the store. The soft fluorescent lighting, along with his own exhaustion, made the cushy mattresses look very inviting. All they needed was a fluffy pillow and a blanket, and it would be heaven to him.

In the corner, he spied Eddy delivering a sales pitch to a young couple. He caught his friend's eye, who nodded his way, and continued to show off the cheap mattress.

Edd gazed around the store and easily found the blue-haired beauty he had been dying to see, stretched out on a mattress near the back wall, hidden from the cameras. He headed over to her, yet upon approach, noticed her mouth was pulled tight and thin in worry. Before he could say a word, she said, "Come to join me?"

She opened her visible eye, giving him a lazy grin that made his heart flutter and invaded his thoughts with many late afternoon "study sessions". He straightened up and held out the bag. "Brought you some food."

"Great, I'm starving," she said, diving into the bag much like her sister. She pulled out a fry and nibbled on it. "Although," a coy expression danced on her face, "I could go for something else." She took his hand, pulling him closer. "Might make a mess though and need to buy the mattress afterwards. But I think I can cut you a deal."

"Oh, I, er," he fumbled over his words until she shut him up with a kiss. He leaned into her and they fell back onto the mattress, narrowly missing the food, and rolling to the side. He had missed this all day and didn't want to move at all. Just lay here, her warm body pressed to his, her tongue flicking across his lips, and little moans reverberating out of her throat and into his. Pure bliss.

The loud ding of the cash register interrupted them, as the customers came into view, with Eddy ringing them up. Reluctantly, Edd and Marie sat up, her turning to the food while Eddy finished his sale.

Despite wanting to continue scamming people for quick cash when they first started searching for jobs, Eddy had succeeded the most, even loving his job and having his manager take him under his wing. Then again, with the store's business practices, it was as close to legally scamming people as one could get, with a much larger payout through commissions. Once Eddy realized that, the dollar signs in his eyes carried him away and he never looked back.

Even now, as Eddy had one of the movers help carry the mattress outside, Edd's keen eye caught him carefully snipping off the warranty and tag, away from the eyes of the couple. That way, if there was a problem with the mattress, they would only get partial store credit.

Edd shook his head and turned to Marie, absently-mindedly watching her eat. Unlike Eddy, she hated the store, goofing off most days. She had originally been hired on with Lee at the record store, both of them tough enough to handle the customers and would-be thieves.

In Marie's case though, too tough. After a few heads slammed into the countertop, mostly from obnoxious customers ridiculing a band t-shirt she wore or making unwanted advances, she had been let go. Eddy had wrangled a job for her at the mattress store. With the dearth of customers and quiet atmosphere, no more injuries had occurred.

"Alright, food," Eddy said, coming back in and taking his burger. "Last sale of the day. Five, count 'em, five total!"

Marie belched and pounded her chest. "Woop-dee-doo. Let's get out of here already."

"Lee wants you to stop by once you leave," Edd told his friend as he headed to the employee breakroom.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay."

Marie picked at the fluff on the furniture, distracted and her eyebrows furrowed. "So, want to come over tonight?" she asked once Eddy was out of earshot.

Edd quickly calculated all the homework he had. "Uh, I better not. I need to really focus on my homework if I hope to pass my classes."

"We can do our homework together," she said, stretching out in his lap. "C'mon. Are you really going to deny all this?" She waved her hands over her uniform polo.

"Well, the uniform does drive me wild," he said sarcastically.

"Oh, so does yours," she said, playing along, tugging on his shirt. "Why don't you whip up a couple of milkshakes for us to use?"

They laughed, but Edd noticed Marie's stopped rather quickly and that same worry reappeared, now creasing her brow and pulling her mouth down. She turned into Edd's shirt, but he rolled her back to face up at him.

"Is everything okay?"

She avoided his eyes and sat up, again picking at the stuffing until a sizable hole formed in the mattress. He waited, tapping his knees and kicking his legs, somewhat afraid of the answer.

Marie tucked a tuft of fallen hair behind her ear. "Well," she said, "it's nothing much. Just something about school."

He tilted his head. "What about school?"

"I may kinda, sorta, be…" she trailed off, mumbling the last part.

"You might be what?"

She groaned and tore out a large piece of fluff, flicking it away. "Held back this year."

His heart stopped. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm flunking, okay?" She grunted and stomped into the back room, leaving him sitting in stunned silence.

**A/N:** Now will you let me sleep?

**Sword:** For now. Thank you peoples for reading! Please let us know what you think of it! Love you all!


	2. Chapter 2: A Desperate Ed

**A/N:**

**Pen:** Why must I continue to be subjected to this tortuous-

**Sword:** Hello everybody! We're back again!

**Pen:** Ugh. Get on with it then.

**Sword:** Right-o! Like we usually say, Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy belong to Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. The story, me, and Pen belong to the author. Please don't use blah blah blah. 'K? 'K. Thanks and enjoy!

**Chapter 2 – A Desperate Ed**

Marie had already entered the back room of the store before Edd broke out of his stupor. He rushed in after her, narrowly missing Eddy leaving, skidded to a halt, and shut the door behind them, giving them some privacy.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," he said. "What do you mean you're flunking?"

She grabbed her backpack from a shelf and swung it over her shoulder. "As in my grades don't meet the school's standards. As in they're below passing. As in my GPA isn't high enough," she said.

Edd rolled his eyes. "No, I understand that. But how can that be? You've been passing the classes."

"_Some _classes," she said, clarifying. She unzipped her backpack, pulled out a piece of paper, and shoved it into his hands. "See? Let's walk and talk." She threw open the door and he followed right behind her, pouring over her report card.

As he suspected, areas like Physics and History, which they shared, she was doing well in. In fact, her aptitude for science boosted her Physics grade to an easy A. But the others were more disheartening.

"A D in Algebra?" he asked once they were on the sidewalk. "It's not much different from Physics."

"Yes, it is," she said. "It's practical versus theoretical."

That made sense to him. As she often mentioned, she was a more "hands-on" person. "Okay, but what about Government and Economy? How could you get an F in that?"

She scoffed. "Pretty easily with all the stupid laws, acts, and crap they expect us to memorize. I can't remember every single detail on the tests." He shook his head, but she continued, "Hey, the way my mom tells it, the only thing we should learn about the government is loopholes for the IRS."

"We'll come back to that. An F in Physical Education? How?"

This area didn't come with a snappy remark. Instead, Marie's eyes dropped to her sneakers and she gave a simple shrug. "You know. Don't really get involved in all the activities. I've even cut a couple of times to study for other classes."

That didn't really explain the grade, but at this point, she was already appearing more disheartened with every item he rattled off, her shoulders slumping and her pace slowing. So he accepted it and moved on, skimming the comments underneath the list of grades. Phrases such as "expectations not met" and "recommend repeating" jumped out at him from the red inked, nearly illegible handwriting.

"Is there anything that can be done?" he asked, fishing around for ideas. "Some extra credit, a project, anything?"

Again, she answered with a half-hearted raise of her shoulders. "Dunno. I'm supposed to talk to my guidance counselor tomorrow about it."

He reviewed over the report card again, scarcely believing it was real. Then a thought reared its ugly head. "How long has this been going on?"

She looked up, startled, caught in the headlights of the question. "Uh, you know. A while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"Maybe," she answered slowly, picking at a stud in her ear, "maybe months?"

"Months?" He felt faint and stopped in the shade of a tree, taking deep breaths. "If it was going on for months, why did you hide this from me? I could've helped you study."

"You already got a lot going on," she said. "We all do. I was going to deal with it."

"I'm your boyfriend," he said. "As such, I'm obligated to assist you and will happily do so."

She chuckled and took the paper back from him. "My, how chivalrous. Look, I know you would've helped. But you're tightly wound normally and this year, with your classes and job, you've been getting less sleep. Shut up, I know you have and yes, that's a problem," she said, before he could protest. "That's why I've been helping you unwind when we study and do homework. You need a little downtime."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's the only reason?"

"Okay, fine, I enjoy it too," she said, grinning. "But I was trying to help my man relax a bit. You would've had a nervous breakdown if you added tutoring me with these classes to the pile."

Edd scratched his neck, feeling guilty. All this time, she had cared about his well-being, wanting him to succeed, and he hadn't done enough for her. "You still should've told me."

"Hey, I got it," she said, tapping his nose, but her voice belied any belief that things would work out. "If I have to repeat a grade, I'll repeat a grade. No biggie. Now, you got homework to do, so get to it." She pecked his lips, lifting onto her toes to gain an extra inch to match his height. "Call me later."

With that, she turned and walked off in the direction of the trailer park. Edd watched her leave and looked around, wondering what to do. He couldn't go to his house and concentrate on homework. Not with this bombshell dropped into his lap.

No, there had to be something he could do to help Marie with this situation, something he wasn't seeing. He spun around, searching up and down the street for some sign. The only one he saw was the tall, green and pink garish marquee of the Café 50's, advertising its lunch special. A hasty idea formed in the working cogs of his brain and before he could rationally rethink it, he powerwalked back to the restaurant, determined in his course of action.

The next day, Edd arrived at school early and waited near the main offices. From the window, he spotted Marie's blue hair through the narrow blinds and another, older woman behind a desk, who he supposed was her guidance counselor. He paced outside the office, checking his watch repeatedly to keep track of the bell. A few minutes before it was due to ring, Marie stepped out of the office, her face downcast with the air of bad news like her report card.

"Hey," Edd said, sidling up to her.

"Oh," she said, surprised at his presence. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long," he lied. "So?"

"So, there's nothing I can do." She pulled the strap on her backpack higher as the bell rang. "That's that. Let's get to class."

"Hold on a minute," he said, rushing up and walking backwards, facing her. The hall was rather empty, as most students were already in class, sleeping at their desks to catch a few more minutes of solace, and only a few stragglers ran to and from lockers carrying textbooks remembered at the last minute. "I've got a way to help you."

She raised a curious eyebrow. "How?"

"I quit my job!"

Her jaw dropped and her eye bulged. "You what?"

"I quit my job," he repeated. "I'm going to dedicate time to help you study. It's the least I can do for you."

However, she smacked her forehead, wiping her face, and gritted her teeth. Not the reaction he was expecting. "Why would you do that?"

"To, er, help you pass?" he said tentatively. "To tutor you."

"You idiot," she said, her expression wavering between annoyance and amusement at his gesture. "You smart idiot. You shouldn't have done that. Even if you tutored me, it wouldn't be enough to get a passing grade."

"O-Oh." He dug his hands in his pocket, stopping for a moment, suddenly feeling very foolish.

Shaking her head, she pecked his cheek. "Thanks for the gesture. Now c'mon." She tugged his arm and he resumed walking.

"So there's nothing you can do? What about summer school?"

"School cuts. Can only afford a few classes this year. I could do Algebra, but not the others."

Edd rapped his knuckles against his forehead. "What about the teachers themselves? Have you talked to them? Asked if there's any way to make up the grades?"

Marie burst out laughing, holding her side. "Are-are you serious?" she choked out.

He cocked his head. "I don't see what's so funny about it. The teachers are there to help you understand the material."

She slowly calmed down and wiped her eyes, giggles escaping now and then. "Oh, wow. You actually _are_ serious. I already tried that. Many times and it didn't work at all because they suck at their job."

"What do you mean?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she explained it to him slowly like teaching a child. "Look, maybe you've gotten lucky or maybe you just don't see it. But a lot of teachers don't care. At all." They rounded a corner, approaching their Physics class. "They either won't help, aren't there to help, or suck at helping."

"What?" Edd shook his head. "No, they have to assist you. It's what they're here for."

"They don't have to do anything," she said as they reached the classroom door. "You don't believe me? Meet me after Algebra before lunch and I'll show you."

Edd had thought Marie to be exaggerating when she went off about the teachers and their inability to assist. But watching the Algebra teacher in action and trying to take notes, he had to concede to her.

When he met up with her after their classes were dismissed for lunch, Marie had caught the Algebra teacher behind her desk. "I don't really get these parts," she said, pulling out her homework from last night. "Can you go over these?"

"Certainly." The teacher had then approached the board and, in the span of five minutes, completely lost Edd and Marie while drawing and discussing the equations on the board. The pair nodded along and Edd attempted to write down her explanations for Marie's sake, but after another minute, he gave up, as he couldn't make heads or tails of the inane logic the teacher used to arrive at the solution when there were several, easier methods he could think of. It was fascinating in its insanity and terrifying that this was taught to students.

By the time they left, the board was filled with slap-dash handwriting, half-thoughts, and equations that Edd could somewhat follow, but only because he already knew the content. "Well," Edd said, looking over his paper one last time as they left and balling it up. "I can't say she doesn't know the material."

"Knows it, but can't teach it," Marie said. "The only reason I have a D is because I've been teaching myself."

"Hey, what are you two doing?" a dreaded voice said behind them. Wincing, Edd reluctantly looked over his shoulder to find Kevin, his hall monitor badge pinned proudly to his shoulder, with his arms crossed and glaring at them. "Skipping class again?"

Before Edd could answer, the Algebra teacher poked her head out. "Oh, Kevin! Sorry, it's my fault. Kept Miss Kanker and Eddward longer than I meant to helping with homework. Won't you excuse them for me?"

"Oh, uh, yes, ma'am," Kevin said, smiling her way. Robbed of his chance to bust the pair, he jerked a sour face to Edd and Marie to hurry up to lunch. Edd noticed Marie clenching her fist, as while Kevin may have been beloved by the teachers and popular students, not everyone cared for him. Edd pulled her along before a fight broke loose.

"But the Government and Economics teacher," Edd said once they entered the lunchroom, attempting to pick up their previous conversation. "Surely that can't be any worse?"

The hard stare she gave him frightened him to his core. "When he's not whining about how he's having to pay off student loans or that he isn't getting to use his degree to go into politics, he's hiding in his office or skipping out for 'emergencies' during after hours when he should be available."

"And Physical Education?"

"I'll stop skipping P.E." The lunch lady slopped a pile of lumpy mashed potatoes on her tray as they went through the line. "Not like it'll help," she mumbled.

At a loss, Edd sat at the table beside her and picked at his food. He had never encountered such a predicament before. Sure, Ed and Eddy had experienced trouble in their own classes, but once they came to him and he assessed the situation, he usually saw a way through to help them with grades and pass the class.

This felt beyond him. A teacher who couldn't teach and one who refused. Marie had been right. He had always assumed the teachers were helpful and always there for students, but perhaps he had been naïve in that belief. It certainly seemed so after today, like his eyes were being opened to another, terrible reality under the surface of the pristine, perfect one he knew.

He glanced at Marie, who slowly ate her food, and frowned. She would be held back a year. Meaning no more classes together. Likely different lunch schedules too. He would hardly see her, all because of a few bad grades, and supposed most of their time together would consist outside of school. Based on the report this morning, it would be something he would have to get used to.

That notion frustrated him and he jammed a fork into his tray. No, it shouldn't be something he should "get used to". Neither should Marie. She had been working hard all year, trying her best. He had personally seen that. Why should she be punished then because of a few teachers who didn't meet her effort? There had to be some way to help her.

_There's nothing_, his mind told him. _No way to change her grades to passing outside of just breaking into the teachers' computers and doing it._

He shook away the negativity and brainstormed. Yet as idea after idea passed, each more unlikely to succeed than the last, the lingering suggestion from that thought stayed with him. _Break into the teachers' computers and change the grades._

_No, no_, he told himself. _That's just silly._ It was not his way. Not to mention it was illegal. Cheating and changing someone's grades?

As he eyed Marie again though, the idea formed its own arguments. _Isn't it just as morally wrong and illegal for teachers to fail a student in their academic endeavors? To not do their job and ruin that student's future prospects?_

_No. I mean, yes, but stop it._ He scooped a mouthful of soggy vegetables up and quietly chewed, staring off into the distance. _How would we even do it?_ he asked himself, entertaining the notion. _Surely they would catch on._

_Not from the sounds of it. Seems like the teachers hardly pay attention._ That was true. _A bump to a B here, a C there, and that's all there is to it._ The voice in his mind was starting to sound suspiciously like Eddy and that frightened him.

_But the only appropriate time would be after school. What if they log the keystrokes? Then they'll know the grades were changed by someone else._

_Do it during school._

That made his knees turn to jelly and he grabbed his drink, downing it with a shaky hand. He couldn't believe he was even entertaining this thought. _I don't know if this is a good idea._

_Do you want the education system to fail a student doing her best?_ He looked at Marie and she finally turned to him, cocking an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked. "Do I got something on my face?"

_Do it for her._ He smiled and pecked her nose. "No, it's nothing." She smirked and elbowed his side. While she went back to eating, he had suddenly lost his appetite.

He wouldn't be able to do this alone. He had to bring in the cavalry, so to speak. With his mind made up, he said a quick farewell to Marie, explaining he had to visit a teacher, then rushing off to find Ed and Eddy before he lost his nerve. Somehow, he didn't see this working out well at all.

His mind flashed with the possible punishments as he pressed on, expulsion being the least of them. No, not well at all.

**A/N:**

**Sword:** That's all for now! Please, let us know what you think so far and thank you for reading! How's it cracking with the next one so far?

**Pen:** Your bones will be cracking if you don't get off my back.

Easy now, you two.


	3. Chapter 3: Sneaking Ed

**A/N:** Where did she get to now?

**Pen:** She's drawing fanart of this nonsense.

It can't be helped then. Would you mind doing the hon-

**Pen:** If you finish that sentence, I'll beat you to death with your own arm.

Fine. Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy belong to Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please do not use without permission. Thank you and please enjoy.

**Chapter 3 – Sneaking Ed**

"Well, well, well," Eddy said, smug and standing high and mighty above a seated Edd, despite his head barely reaching the taller's shoulders standing. "Our little Double Dee wants to be a cheater."

They huddled together in the quiet of the library, where Edd had instructed them to meet after school. Eased by the surrounding of books and knowledge, Edd spilled his predicament and plan to the pair, begging for their help. After Eddy and Ed had a good, long laugh, and subsequently were shushed by the librarian, Eddy had adopted a wicked grin that Edd did not enjoy at all.

"Will you help or not?" Edd asked, his stomach already churning at the prospect.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll help you," Eddy said. "But you know, since we're going to be doing this," he thumbed Ed and himself, "we could use a bit of a boost as well."

"A-A what?" Edd stared at him.

"You know, a little 'extra credit', in a sense, to help us pass some classes too," Eddy said slyly. "Maybe, just to pick a random subject, Biology and History?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ed piped up. "I really need a C in English!"

Eddy and Edd both grabbed Ed by the lips and shoulders, respectively, yanking him down and smothering his face in the floor. "Can it, lummox! Or the whole school'll hear!" He looked up at Edd. "So, what'll it be? Can you do it?"

Scoffing, Edd sat back and folded his arms. The nerve of the two! "You're seriously asking me to change your grades as well?"

"We're doing you a solid. Besides, you'll be in the computers anyway. Same teachers, different subjects."

Edd watched their larger friend struggle and twist his head in Eddy's hand, sucking down air. He didn't like the idea, but he did need their help. And as Eddy pointed out, he was already changing Marie's. May as well help any others who need it. Knowing his friends' grades, they _did_ need all the help they could find.

With a heavy heart, he nodded. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll do it."

"Great," Eddy said, finally releasing the larger Ed, who popped up and smacked the back of his head into a bookcase. "What do you need from us?"

"First, I'll need the passwords for the teachers' computers," he said. Digging in his backpack, he pulled out two small cameras, barely the width of a thumb nail. "These are a couple of prototype spy cameras I whipped up." Immediately, the pair snatched the cameras out of his hands and he stiffened. "Be careful! They're extremely sensitive!"

"What do we do with them?" Eddy asked.

"Put them high above the teachers' chairs, somewhere they won't notice them, but where you'll get a good view of their keyboard."

"Why can't we use some super hacking stuff?" Ed asked. "Like in 'Rubies are Eternal' where they hack the doomsday satellite?"

"I gotta agree with Lumpy, for once," Eddy said. "Can't we just use a program to hack the computers?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, do _you_ know how to hack a computer?" Edd asked. The addition of changing their grades already had him in a bad mood without their criticism of his available skillset and plan

"Okay, okay, geez." Eddy mumbled something that sounded like "touchy" quietly to Ed, but Edd chose to ignore it for now.

"Look, with summer around the corner, we're short on time, so this is the best I can do. Once we have the teachers' passwords, you and Ed will act as lookouts while I go in and change the grades. It's that simple." Even Edd didn't believe that lie, but he forced a grin all the same.

"So as soon as we have the passwords, we do it?" Eddy asked.

"Yes, during the lunch period." Before either could pick their jaws up off the floor and protest, he quickly explained his reasoning with the computers tracking keystrokes. "Therefore, if the computers are being monitored, this won't look suspicious. Any questions?"

Eddy raised his hand. "Yeah, just one. How can you be sure the teachers won't notice the grades changing?"

Edd bit his lip and shook his head. "I can't. Given my observation and limited knowledge of the teachers, it's possible they won't pay attention. But I can't be one hundred percent certain."

"Great," Eddy said. "This is looking like a real winner."

"What's your idea then?" Edd asked, crossing his arms in a huff. "Let's hear it."

Eddy cleared his throat. "Glad you asked. It's simple. Where do all the grades go when the teachers submit them?"

"Oh, oh, I know this!" Ed waved his hand excitedly. "To our parents so they can yell at us about being a disappointment!"

"Close, you dope," he said. "When they submit grades, they go to the principal. Then he sends the grades to the secretaries, who print out the report cards. I doubt he'll notice a few changes before he reviews and sends them off." He puffed out his chest, as if waiting for adoring accolades for his brilliant scheme. "See? Simple."

"Not to deflate your plan, but there are several problems with that," Edd countered. "One, we don't know how long the principal will take to send the grades to be printed. He might send them immediately or he might carefully review each student's report card."

Eddy swatted away the notion. "No way. He'll pretend to take a few days, but he won't _really_ go over them."

"Two," Edd continued over him, "the offices, the principal's included, are rarely empty during school hours, unlike the classrooms." His friend's face drooped a little, realizing the accuracy of his point.

"And three, do you know where the principal also sends the grades when having them printed?" He waited a second before answering his question. "To the county school board, on our permanent records. If we somehow failed to get into the principal's computer, then that's it. No more chances, since you can't break into a government center, including the school board offices."

Conceding his point, Eddy nodded. "Alright, alright. Fine, we'll do it your way."

"Good." Edd zipped up his backpack and stood. "Eddy, you take care of the Biology and Math teacher. Ed, you got the English and History teacher."

"What are you going to do?" Eddy asked.

"I'm going to deal with the coaches. Remember, don't tell Marie about this. I don't want her to worry." This was a burden he would bear himself. It was only right in his eyes after she had carried it herself for so long. "And that goes for anyone else. Not a word of this to anybody." Both he and Eddy directed their glares to Ed, who appeared confused.

"What?" he asked, swiveling his face between them.

"That means no telling Sara, your parents, May," Eddy said, ticking off his fingers. "_Nobody_."

"Gotcha!" he said, but Edd wondered if he should worry more.

_I don't have enough worry to go around_, he thought. _His word will have to do._ With that, he left them to their tasks and made a beeline for his.

* * *

Placing a hidden camera proved to be trickier than he thought. During the year, it had seemed like the teachers and staff were frequently away from their offices, teaching classes, visiting the break lounge, eating lunch, or chatting in the hallway. Now whenever Edd walked by the gym and locker rooms, the coaches were always in their offices, checking their computers. _Probably inputting final grades_, he thought, and shivered. It would do no good to worry. He had to stay focused on his objective.

A week later, he finally found a golden opportunity. During a free period, he made his way over to the gym, where several mats were laid out on the basketball court that encompassed the main interior. The wrestling teams formed a tight circle around the mats, the coaches among them, cheering on several people that Edd couldn't see.

Yet what stood out were the locker rooms across the gym itself. If everyone, coaches included, were out in the gym, then the offices would be completely empty. Edd fingered the camera in his pocket, glad he had kept it constantly on him for such a chance.

_Just need to sneak around_, he thought, slinking along the bleachers, which were folded up against the wall. As he reached the middle of the court, the crowd around the mats yelled, a mixture of applause and moans. Edd feared he may have been caught and turned to the commotion.

Instead, he saw a shock of blue hair pop up among the shoulders of the taller boys and Marie exited the circle, leaving a wheezing opponent lying on his back on the wrestling mat. Meanwhile, the head coach, the oldest of the coaches there, was pulling the wrestling team together, praising Marie as she passed.

"You see what she did?" he said, clapping her shoulder and pointing at the grounded student. "If you can get behind the other guy like that, it's all over. Take note and you might be as good as she is!"

Before Edd could move or hide, Marie spotted him, said a few words to the coach, and rushed over to him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He fumbled over his rehearsed statement. "Oh, I, er, think I left something in my locker this morning," he said. It was true. He had deliberately left a calculator in his locker as an excuse to come down here. "What about you?"

"Teaching," she said.

"Teaching?"

At that, the head coach yelled and swore at a couple of the students on a different mat, making Edd jump at such obscenity. "What are you doing? Are you trying to bring him down, or get to third base? Keep him in that hold!"

"Yeah, a while back, they asked for my help," she said, thumbing the head coach, still red-faced and directing the students. "Wanted me to show them a couple of moves. Been helping during gym and free periods when I can."

"Since it's no secret that you're no stranger to a fight," Edd said and Marie punched his arm playfully.

"Careful, or I might show you too."

The head coach quickly approached them as Marie's beaten wrestler was replaced with two fresh members. "Marie," he said. "Think tomorrow you could show them that arm bar you demonstrated last week? If we have any hope of making it to state, they'll have to master that."

"Sure," Marie said, looking to Edd. The head coach took notice of him as well, giving him a once-over.

"Oh, Edd, third period, right?" he said, recognizing him after a moment and then quickly checking with Marie. "Wait, this is your Edd?"

She grinned and Edd himself couldn't help but flush at that description. Her Edd. Deep down, he liked it. "Yeah," she said, pecking her boyfriend's cheek.

The coach clucked his tongue, not questioning the mismatched pair. "Did you need something?" he asked.

"Yeah, forgot something in my locker," Edd said and hoped he could start making progress to the office.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here," the coach said, dashing Edd's hopes of leaving. "Perhaps you can convince her to join the team."

"The team?" Edd turned to Marie for an explanation, but the coach filled him in.

"The wrestling team. She's the best wrestler I've seen in years. Could certainly teach these pansies a thing about it." At that, he turned around, catching one of the students on the ground, doing a poor job of holding onto his opponent. "Oh, for the love of God, will you two wake up? I swear I'll cut you!" He marched back over to the team and Edd tried to block out the obscene yells.

"I got to hit the showers," Marie said, pulling him along to the lockers. "Wait for me?"

"Uh, sure," he said. He watched her enter the girls' side and once he was certain she was out of view, he dashed into the boys' locker room.

Rows upon rows of lockers stood before him, separated by long aisles and benches where a gym bag or two and smelly shoes had been carelessly abandoned. Behind a partition to his right, wet shoeprints and water trailed out of the showers. The air stank with a mixture of sweat and body spray that always made Edd feel nauseous from one whiff. Holding his breath, he dashed through the empty room, spotted the office door in the back, and threw it open.

The office was quiet and small, with a simple desk, computer, and chairs. Another door opposite him opened to the girls' locker rooms across from him. Edd shut the door quietly behind him and it seemed to close with a thunderous _bang!_

He froze, listening intently, but no one came rushing into the office to investigate the noise. Unclenching his rigid arms, he hurried to the desk, fishing the camera out of his pocket. As he rounded the monitor, he again stopped in his tracks.

Sitting in the chair was a piece of wood, a crude pair of eyes and simple smile drawn on it. "Plank?" he asked, staring at the small board. Edd looked around. If Plank was here, then his owner and friend, Johnny, was nearby. He had to hurry.

Edd circled the desk, keeping one watchful eye on the door and Plank, the other judging the angle of the keyboard. He found an inconspicuous spot on the wall that, according to his calculations, would have a clear view of any typed passwords.

He half-expected someone to walk in while placing the camera, but nobody did. Only Plank witnessed it, his blank stare rather unnerving. "Don't suppose you could hack the system and change everyone's grades now?" Edd asked, laughing at his joke. The silence that followed didn't help, as those red eyes appeared to consider the idea, imaginary gears working between the splinters. Sometimes, Edd almost swore that Plank could move, then shook his head. _That's just Johnny rubbing off._

Still, he glanced back a few times while exiting, an eerie sense of someone watching him crawling up his neck. It lingered even when he had finally shut the door, causing him to not pay attention and bump into Johnny himself.

"Oh, hey, Double Dee!" Johnny said, entering the office. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I left something in my locker," he said automatically. Then added, "Or maybe dropped it. Was checking the floor, you see? What about you?"

"Plank's helping the teachers install some new software on their computers," Johnny said. "He's a whiz at that stuff. Even hacked the government once for the fun of it." The way he talked with such confidence about his "friend" after all these years made Edd wonder if Johnny would be in therapy at some point. "I'm down here to watch him. Make sure he's on the straight and narrow."

"Right," he said, maneuvering around Johnny and backing to the exit. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks," Johnny said, whistling a tune and entering the office to resume his duty. He didn't suspect anything.

Edd breathed easier and left the locker room, waiting at the entrance for Marie. By now, Eddy and Ed should have accomplished their tasks. If all went well, they should have the passwords soon enough and the grades would be easily changed.

_I hope._

**A/N:** Whew, done with that one.

**Sword:** On to the next chapter!

As always, thank you all for reading. Please let us know what you think so far, as we always welcome any and all feedback. Take care.


	4. Chapter 4: Letting Off a Little Ed

**A/N:** Been a while, huh? Sorry, had a bit of a mental block.

**Sword:** I blame Pen.

**Pen:** I'll take the credit for that. I don't care.

Well, we're back now. So Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy belong to Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please do not use without permission. Thank you and please enjoy.

**Chapter 4 – Letting Off a Little Ed**

"Hey!" Marie snapped her fingers in Edd's face, jerking him out of his peaceful slumber. "If you don't at least pretend you're listening to my sales pitch, then my boss will make me work for real. And if I have to deal with one more person asking if this mattress is 'good for their particular back alignment,' I'll re-align their back permanently."

"Sorry," he said, stretching his arms, the soft comforter he laid upon cradling him in the mattress like a fluffy cloud, siphoning off his worries and replacing the empty space with lethargic daydreams and naps. A small smile played at his lips. "You're so convincing, I just had to try out this bed for myself. Why don't you take a load off? I need to test this for two people in the bed before I consider purchasing it."

She pursed her lips and flicked him in the middle of his forehead, but did plop down onto the mattress while her boss was busy up front. Taking Edd's head in her lap, she traced the reddened spot on his head, then her fingers danced down the side of his face, twisting the fringes of his hair sticking out from his beanie around her finger.

The sensation was heavenly. Edd hadn't felt this relaxed in weeks. He was happy he had quit his job, because with how little time he had now, he didn't see how he would have squeezed shifts in.

With final exams coming up, he had taken on more work helping Marie study for all her classes, hoping that maybe, perhaps, they could bring her grades up to scratch to pass and not have to cheat. Between study sessions with her, Eddy, Ed, and watching the cameras religiously each night, he had no time for anything else.

At least Marie was more hardworking than Eddy and Ed were, making his time with her easier. Since planting the cameras, his two friends had shirked off even trying to bring the failing grades up to straddling the success line, believing that their plan would work fine.

"Why worry?" Eddy had said. "Let's just focus on the other classes."

"Because I still don't know if we'll be able to get in!" Edd had shouted after yet another round of complaining from the two.

The cameras, rather than make things easier, were simply sapping away Edd's time monitoring them. There had been a few wasted days where Ed had had to re-adjust his camera, as he had placed it at too low of an angle so that Edd could only view the teacher's back, and most of the footage was filler that Edd cycled through until the wee hours of the morning, hardly finding any sleep. The handful of times that teachers had entered their credentials to input grades, Edd had spotted a couple of letters and numbers, but nothing significant. Having dozed off from exhaustion during the middle of viewing the footage over the past few days, he was terribly behind.

It wasn't until a couple of days ago when he found the gym coach's credentials, clearly visible while the coach talked to another teacher. For the English and History teacher, he was sure he knew most of the letters and numbers by the movements of the arms and hands. But the Math and Biology teacher was still a mystery.

That didn't solve their largest problem though. As Eddy has pointed out, the only window all three teachers were gone from their computers was during the lunch period, lasting a mere forty minutes. Forty minutes to hit all the computers and get back to class with none the wiser.

"We would have to each take one ourselves," Edd said.

"But what about a lookout?" Ed said

"A lookout?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. I never get away with anything at home cause I never have a lookout for Sarah."

Surprised by his rare observance, Eddy said, "He's got a point. Teachers and the jerk with a hall monitor badge. What do we do about them?"

Edd had given a noncommittal mumble and returned to the cameras. The teachers and Kevin were known to check classrooms for any wandering students and pranksters. He supposed they could double up for one computer, but that still left one person alone. Perhaps they could use more cameras, but he didn't have time to build them.

"Something wrong?" He looked up into Marie's face, where a crease formed between her eyebrows. "You look worried."

"Just finals," he lied for the dozenth time. She accepted it and moved onto playing with his ear, the little tickling sensation sending shivers down his neck and arms, and he squirmed in her hold.

He had the inkling to tell her each day about what he was up to, as the stress of studying and long nights were getting to her as well. The purple bags under her eyes, headaches every morning she dragged herself into school, and her cranky attitude toward customers – more so than usual. Several times, due to Marie's exhaustion in the mornings, Edd had been obligated to discretely pull her aside in class and inform her that her shirt or pants were on backwards.

Yet he knew telling her what he planned to do would compound that anxiety and she had enough to deal with. So he kept encouraging her and helping her study to the best of his ability, drawing up study guides, making flash cards, and reviewing practice tests with her.

"Half an hour to go," she said suddenly, stirring him again. "Want to take a break, see a movie after this?"

He raised his head, rolling out his stiff neck. "What about studying? Remember our Government and Economy session yesterday and how that went?"

"I'm going to be repeating anyway," she said. "What's it matter?"

He cast around for an excuse and settled lamely on, "Well, what if you do really good in some classes and they let you go through anyway?"

She stared at him and clucked her tongue. "I need a break," she said, emphasizing each word. "You coming with?"

"I can't," he said. "I'm supposed to help Eddy and Ed study tonight."

"C'mon," she said, rolling over on top of him. "I think those two can handle one night without you."

_You'd be surprised_, he thought. "I promised I'd help them. They're really struggling."

"And I love that you always want to help. But let me help you de-stress a bit." When he didn't reply, she added, "I don't get to see you anymore outside of studying these days."

"Well," he wasn't sure how to respond, "that happens during finals."

"I'm not dating a tutor," she said. "I'm dating you. One movie, just tonight."

He badly wanted to go. But as he did the quick mental calculations of how much footage he still had to review and how long it would take to go through Ed and Eddy's material - even searching through the footage while helping them, he knew he wouldn't have the time. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Maybe another night?"

She looked down at him, her upset eyes narrowing, and heaved out, "Fine," in a sullen tone, bouncing off him so the wind was momentarily knocked out of his lungs. He watched her shuffle to the front, stooping and her hands in her pockets, and Edd dug his knuckles into his forehead, wanting to scream.

_Remember, it's for her_, he reminded himself. _It's for her. It's for her. All for her._

Once Marie clocked out, they entered the nearly empty street, walking to their separation point along the sidewalk. Very few people passed by, making Edd uncomfortable in the deafening silence and unsure what to say or do to soothe the mood. It was almost with some relief when the tense air was broken up by a familiar voice calling out to him.

Unfortunately, he wished it could have been any other voice besides this one. "Watch it, dork." Kevin slammed his shoulder directly into Edd's, spinning him around and knocking him toward the street. Marie grabbed Edd's hand, pulling him back onto the sidewalk as Kevin guffawed, his arm draped around Nazz, pulling her closer to him.

Nazz had just pushed Kevin an arm's length away and started telling him off when she suddenly screamed. Edd looked around. Marie was no longer by his side, holding his hand to save him from the asphalt. She straddled Kevin's back, raining blow after blow on his head as they both crashed to the ground. It took Edd a second before he realized the situation and rushed over to the brawling pair.

Both Marie and Kevin swung at one another, fists flying, feet kicking, teeth chomping down anywhere there was an exposed weak point. Strings of curses and guttural threats broke up the thudding impacts and cries of pain

"Get off-!"

"-won't look good missing your-!"

"C'mere!"

"Kidney shot!"

Edd and Nazz glanced at one another, unsure how to tear the two of them apart for fear of being knocked out themselves. Finally, when Marie grabbed Kevin's shoulder and kneed him in the gut – or was it below the belt? – Edd seized the opportunity to wrap his arms under his girlfriend's armpits and drag her flailing and kicking away from Kevin.

"Crazy trailer trash!" Kevin called, raising to his hands and knees and massaging his side.

Marie jerked toward him, but Edd held firm. "Don't mess with my boyfriend again!" she said, wiping a trail of blood from her nose. "Not so big now, hall monitor."

Nazz helped Kevin to his feet, yet he still leaned over, favoring one side. "Have fun repeating a grade." He gave a wicked toothy grin as she growled, then limped off in the opposite direction, his arm thrown around Nazz's shoulders for support.

Once they were out of earshot, Marie stopped struggling against Edd and her breathing slowed to normal. Wiping away more blood, she turned to Edd and asked, "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

"I should be asking you that," he said. Her left eye had started to swell and despite continually cleaning it, her nose, and now lip, were both bleeding. Yet the Kanker hardiness had kicked in and she stood tall on her own a lot better than Kevin.

"That was nothing," she said, sniffing.

"We better keep going," he said, taking her hand. "You need to get some ice on that."

When they reached their separation point, he offered to come home with her and make sure she was fine. "I got this," she said. "Like I said, it's nothing. And you got to tutor, remember?"

"O-Oh. Right," he said, having completely forgotten about the camera. "Call me if you need anything. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," she said, no longer as frigid as in the store. The fight had burned out that fire, but a downhearted note lingered in her voice. She pecked his cheek, turned, and shuffled off home, leaving Edd with his throat constricted and unsure what to say. He wanted to assure her everything would be okay.

In the end, he kept walking along the sidewalk, making his way for the cul-de-sac, and kicking small pebbles along the way.

Once at his house, Edd already felt the urge to lay down in bed overwhelming him. As much as his body yearned for it, he instead grabbed his laptop, a couple of cans of tea out of the fridge, and walked over to Eddy's house, slowly knocking on the door.

The door cracked open and Eddy peered out. "Oh, right. The review," he said, then nervously looked back inside the house. "Uh, how about we do this another night?"

Edd raised an eyebrow. "The exams are in a matter of weeks. You and Ed need all the studying you can get."

"Right," Eddy said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I think we can study on our own for one night."

"I've seen how you study on your own," Edd said. "It's the reason I locked up your filthy magazines for the time being."

"And I'll gratefully hate you for that until summer," his friend said. "But right now isn't the best time."

"The best time?" Edd felt something inside his brain snap, as if the overworked gears had finally busted a belt and refused to work. "This whole thing for me isn't the best time either! But I've been the one watching the cameras, helping everyone study, and getting very little sleep! How would you and Ed like to watch the cameras instead? Help me out a bit and work with me here?"

Eddy shushed him, his eyes widening and glancing back inside. "Look, Sockhead. Let me get dressed and I'll come out. Just keep your shirt on."

The door started to close, but Edd wiggled his shoe in, ignoring the squeezing pain in his toes. "Oh, no, you don't. I know you all too well, Eddy. You're not going to slack off tonight." He rammed his shoulder in the door, yet Eddy's side held firm. For the umpteenth time in his life, he cursed his predilection to avoid the gym.

_Next summer, pull-ups_, he swore to himself, an empty promise that floated away as he banged on the door again and again. _Just for once_ – wham! – _let_ – wham! –_ me_ – wham! – _get-_ wham!

The door suddenly relented and he tumbled inside, somersaulting across the shag carpet. _In?_ He came to a rest on his back at the foot of Eddy's bed, staring up at the ceiling. Ed and May hopped off the bed and crowded around Edd's body, looking him over.

"Hey, Double Dee!" Ed said loudly in his ear.

"What," he looked around, "what's going on?"

"We were waiting for you," a husky voice said. Edd craned his neck back at the door and saw Lee shut it, Eddy glaring at her. She joined her sister in peering down at Edd and lifted the mass of red curls out of one of her eyes. "We hear tell you got a way to raise our grades." Edd's breathing hitched. "And we want in."

**A/N:** Whew, that took a while.

**Sword:** I think I can keep Pen out of our way. It'll be tough, but it's for romance's sake!

Whatever helps. Anyway, thank you all for sticking with us. Hope you're enjoying it and please let us know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5: Ask and Ed Shall Provide

**A/N:** Work has been killing me.

**Sword:** But you have to soldier on! For the romance!

**Pen:** Shut it. I didn't get any sleep and my head is pounding.

**Sword:** Fine, you lazy grumps! Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy belong to Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please do not use without permission. K? Okay. Thankoo and please enjoy.

**Chapter 5 – Ask and Ed Shall Provide**

"How could you be so irresponsible?" Edd said, flailing his arms and pacing back and forth across the room. Once he had stopped reeling from the shock, he had hopped to his feet and launched into a tirade, stuttering and sputtering a string of flabbergasted questions at Ed. "Did I not make myself clear enough?"

"But Double Dee-," his larger friend tried, but Edd cut him off again.

"Did I not explicitly say that nobody else should know about this?"

"Yeah and-"

"Did I not repeatedly emphasize and stress the importance that not a word leaves the very tight-knit circle of trust that we established in this highly illegal endeavor for the sake of all of your academic educations and successes?"

Ed stared at him blankly for a few moments, the gears working overtime to process the entire sentence as he scrunched his face and chewed his tongue. Edd sighed and simplified it down to, "Did I not repeatedly tell you not to tell May or any of the Kankers?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ed said, flopping his head up and down. "And I didn't. Honest."

"It's true," May said, curled up on the bed beside him and running her fingers through his short hair.

"Then how do you and your sister," he pointed accusing fingers at May and Lee, who leaned against the door with Eddy staring at his shoes, "find out about this?"

"Maybe you should ask your other friend," she said.

Edd shifted focus to Eddy, who looked up once and returned to his shoes. But that was all it took. Edd immediately knew he was to blame. "Wha-But why?"

Lee pushed off the door and draped an arm across Eddy's head, leaning on him and pushing him further into the shag carpet. "This little weasel can't keep anything from me."

"It just slipped out," Eddy finally said, pushing Lee off him and shuffling to a corner. "We were talking and it came out. Big deal."

Edd couldn't believe what he was hearing and he suddenly felt like Ed just had, trying to work his way through words that he heard, but didn't quite understand. Here he thought he could place his trust in Eddy, who at least kept his mouth shut during their scams. Now the secret was out and it had compounded an already stressful endeavor with a new wrench in the works.

"Ed, I'm sorry," he said to his friend. Ed grinned broadly and Edd turned back to Eddy. "Everything I said to him, well, for you instead!"

"Yeah, whatever," Eddy said. "It doesn't matter anyway. We still got the same problem. Only one login, remember?"

In his rant, Edd had actually forgotten his computer, laying on the floor by the bed. All this time spent yelling and chastising could have been used to cycle through more footage. He cursed himself and picked up his laptop. "Yes, well, I haven't had any help looking through the cameras, have I?"

"Because you insist we _study hard_," Eddy said. "I'm seeing review questions in my sleep, thanks to you!"

"Woah, woah, what's all this about cameras?" Lee asked. "Eddy said you were planning to hack the computers, but that was all."

Sitting down and opening his laptop, Edd decided to explain their plan while he checked the footage. Once he finished, and again came up empty-handed for an entire hour's worth of surveillance, Lee chuckled, "Why go through all that trouble?"

"Uh," Edd looked up from his computer, "I thought that was fairly obvious. To change all the grades."

"No, I mean the cameras," she said. "The teachers aren't the only ones who know the passwords. The teacher's pets do too."

"But guys, we don't speak dog," Ed said.

"No, you inbred," Lee said, as May stuck out her tongue at the back of her head, "the teachers' aides. The students the teachers have help out. They put in grades sometimes too."

"But how would we get it from them?" Edd asked.

Lee cracked her knuckles and gave May a knowing look. "Us Kankers can be very persuasive."

Edd rubbed his chin, pondering the idea and going through any possible flaws. On one hand, they needed the passwords soon, but on the other hand, he preferred not to have to resort to violence. And there was another concern. "That would leave a witness," he said.

"We can be _extra_ persuasive," May insisted.

He didn't want to know what that entailed, but seeing no other option, he agreed. "Fine. Do you know the teaching assistants for the Math and Biology teacher? Or the English and History one?"

"No, but change our grades too and we'll get you them and the passwords," Lee said, holding out her hand. "Have we got a deal?"

Rubbing his eyes, Edd groaned and, after arguing fiercely with himself for a few moments more, relented. "Very well. Just keep it quiet." He reached for her hand, then paused, a horrifying thought popping in his head. "Wait. Marie doesn't know, does she?"

"No," May said. "Eddy made sure to tell us that you didn't want her to know."

"And I want to keep it that way," he said, taking Lee's hand and giving it a shake. "She's got enough to deal with."

"We got you. Don't worry that little beanie of yours," Lee said, gesturing at May as they both walked to the door. "She won't hear from us."

Once they left, Edd faced Eddy, who scowled in return and crossed his arms. "What? Planning to yell some more?"

"No," Edd said, working over how to keep this new complication in check while hiding this plan from Marie. "I'd just like to know how it happened."

"We were just hanging out," Eddy said.

"May said 'Making out'," Ed chimed in, earning a swift kick from Eddy.

"And we were just talking about grades and it sort of came up."

But as he talked, making half-excuses and adding how "it's not like it's never happened to you two", another realization struck Edd, this one better. This whole ordeal might be a blessing in disguise. In fact, it could be the solution he needed.

"Yo, Sockhead," Eddy said, snapping his fingers in front of him and bringing him out of his musings. "What's with the goofy grin?"

Edd continued to smile and shut his laptop. "Eddy, I think you may have just inadvertently solved a big problem."

* * *

As Edd knew the material that would be present on the final exams, he had taken to an activity he had often chided Ed and Eddy for doing in class: sleeping. It was the only way he managed to find any bit of rest these days and with his thick textbooks, and the absolute trust of all the teachers that he was paying attention, he was able to snag a few minutes here, fifteen minutes there. Of course, he normally woke up with a sore neck and spine.

It was during one such nap the next day that he was jolted awake, not by sudden worry that he had been asked a question or the textbook dropping, but by the bell ringing and a loud, gruff voice shouting, "I don't care! Forget it!"

Snapping to attention and nearly raising his hand to answer a question never asked, Edd glanced around at the leaving class. Among them, he saw Kevin, stomping off and pushing through the crowd, leaving Nazz behind, sulking anger etched on her face that slowly dropped the farther away Kevin got.

As the students and the teacher left, Edd gathered up his belongings, keeping an eye on Nazz. She slowly got to her feet, accidentally knocking a couple of pens off the desk. Edd snatched them up, handing them out to her.

"Thanks," she said, her voice thick like she had swallowed a stone.

"You're welcome," he said, circling around the rows and following her out of class. "Um, not that it's my business, but is something wrong?"

She quickly sniffed and wiped her nose. "What? Oh, no. It's nothing." She stared up at him and cleared her throat, easing the stuffiness. "I'm sorry about what happened the other night."

"Oh," he said, nervously chuckling, unsure how to respond. "Um, that's quite alright. I'd say Marie evened it out."

"Yeah," she said, a small smile breaking the misery on her face, then muttered, "Can't say he didn't fully deserve it."

"How do you mean?"

She bit her lip, turning to the lockers and staring down the halls they passed. Edd quickly backtracked and waved his hands. "Uh, nevermind. Like I said, it's not my business."

"No, it's fine," she said. "It involves you anyway."

Bewildered by this revelation, Edd scratched his head and stuttered, "S-Sorry?"

Nazz sighed, stopping at her locker and opening it, swapping out some of her books. "Okay, I'm sure you've noticed Kevin is being more of a jerk lately."

_Lately?_ Edd thought.

"Well, he's jealous."

Edd waited for her to continue and when she didn't, he prompted, "Of?" She gave him an incredulous look that took Edd a few moments to put together. "Me?"

"Yes."

"But…why?" He couldn't fathom what Kevin could be jealous about.

"Because he thinks you're flirting with me."

Edd sputtered in shock. "But I have a girlfriend!"

"That's what I told him. That we're just friends. But with the free fries-"

"Because you helped me!" he said.

"-and being nice in general, he thinks something's going on. He's been like this with any guy I talk to. And last night was enough. That was unfair what he did to you and when I tried to get him to apologize today, he refused."

That explained the tail-end of the argument he had caught. "It's gone to his head and he's been sour for months now. And getting that stupid hall monitor badge was the cherry on top."

It felt like several pieces of a puzzle suddenly clicked into place. "It wasn't all bad," Edd said. "Marie got to burn off some steam."

Nazz shut her locker and chuckled. "That she did." As the warning bell rang, she peered down the hall at her next class. "Thanks for letting me vent."

"No problem." As she left, he figured he had better lie low around Kevin for a while. With what they were planning, he didn't need to draw any more heat to them, especially from a jealous hall monitor on a power-trip.

* * *

True to their word, Lee and May managed to round up the exact passwords by next afternoon. "Would've had them sooner if the toilets actually worked around here." Edd didn't press for more details, simply taking the slip of paper she handed him with the passwords.

Edd wished he had brought in the Kankers sooner. With two weeks now looming before the final exams, time was running out. He had hoped to test the passwords, but the ever-encroaching deadline left them no chance. "We'll just have to hope your fists did the job," he said once he had gathered the group together again after school. "All that's left now is to retrieve the cameras."

"Let me guess: while we're changing the grades," Eddy said.

"Exactly," Edd said. "Now, I have it worked out. Lee, you and Ed deal with the gym teacher's computer. You two shouldn't raise any eyebrows in there and you'll have a lookout to keep watch for the one on the computer."

"Eddy and May," he said, turning to the next pair, "you got History and English. If they ask, just say you're there for tutoring. I'll take Math and Biology. The class only has one door and I should be able to see anyone coming from long off."

"Hey," May said, pointing at her boyfriend, "why can't I go with Big Ed?"

Edd gave her a deadpan look. "This is to ensure there are no 'distractions'."

She crossed her arms and huffed, throwing a glare at Lee. "I better not catch you making out with my man."

"Then don't you dare make out with mine," Lee shot back.

"When are we doing this?" Eddy asked.

"The day before the exams," Edd said. Already anticipating the next question, he added, "Some of the teachers submit final grades as soon as they finish grading the exams. We need to get in there beforehand and change the grades. Then once the final exam scores are uploaded, we'll be in the clear."

"I wish we could change our exam scores too," Ed said, Eddy nodding in agreement.

"Well, as long as you've been diligently reviewing our notes from our study sessions, you should be fine," Edd said. His eyes narrowed as his friends looked away from him. "You _have_ been going over our notes, haven't you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Eddy said, coughing in his hand. "Here and there."

Edd wiped his face as they started the long walk back to the cul-de-sac. _Heaven help me._

* * *

The next week passed excruciatingly slowly, as if time in all its sadism enjoyed watching Edd squirm and sweat over what they planned to do. When he wasn't going over the steps in his head again and again to make sure no little detail had been forgotten, he was fretting over the cameras possibly being discovered before they could take them. And when he would finally calm those fears, they would be replaced with doubts that he should even go through with this at all, and instead simply keep their heads down, focus on exams, and do their best.

Thankfully, he still had time to spend with Marie, whose presence swept away those doubts and re-doubled his courage. However, he could barely contain himself around her, worrying he would let something slip. If the constant trembling and stuttering wasn't enough of a giveaway, she definitely sensed his inner anxiety more often, asking him what was wrong frequently. He kept assuring her he was fine until she finally confronted him one day after work in the backroom.

"Okay, what is going on?" she said, pushing him into the wall and jabbing a finger in his chest. "And don't give me that 'I'm fine', crap. You've been spacey all week and can barely say two words straight when we're talking. So spill it."

Edd wished that Eddy would burst in right away with one of his usual on-the-fly lies. Edd swallowed, searching for more time to think. "W-What, er, makes you say that?"

"Look me in the eye," she said.

With a heavy reluctance, he did. Her sole visible eye seemed to cut right through him, x-raying his body to search for any secrets. Drumming his fingers on the wall behind him, he attempted a half-smile, half-frown that he was sure made him come off as insane. "Y-You know. Just worried about you and your finals."

"There's more to it than that," she said, not letting him have time to build upon that. "What is it?"

He had the inkling to tell her and nearly did, until a sudden, harebrained excuse came to his mind. "Okay, okay," he said slowly, still unsure if this would work, but having no other cards to play, "the truth is, I've been thinking of asking to be held back."

That stalled her and for a few moments, she stared at him, allowing him ample opportunity to continue fabricating the lie. "What do you mean 'held back'?" she asked. "Like this grade?"

"Exactly," he said and took her hand, sealing it between both of his. "I know if you're held back, we'll hardly see each other. And believe it or not, I quite like being around you and don't want to lose that. So I'll repeat the grade with you."

Before he could seal the story, she yanked her hand out of his and pushed him up against the wall again, her whole body and face pressed into his. "Don't," she said through gritted teeth, "you even _think_ about doing that!"

"W-What?" he stammered.

"You're not going to ruin your schooling just for me," she said, waving a threatening finger in his face. "Do you honestly think I want that? How do you think I'd feel if you repeated a grade because of me. You should already be in collegiate classes by now!"

Briefly, his inner voice told him this may not have been the best time to confess he had been offered that very chance at the beginning of the year, but had turned the collegiate classes down as well because it meant less time with Marie.

"You idiot," she said, slamming her palms in his shoulders roughly. "You handsome idiot." She grabbed him by the beanie, pulling his head down to her level. "You're going to go on. I want you to go on. And don't ever let me hear that you're planning to sabotage yourself like that for me, got it?"

"Got it," he said.

She pecked his lips, let go of him, and shook her head. "Repeating a grade," she muttered and swore to herself, throwing her backpack over her shoulders. Then grabbing his hand and dragging him to the exit, she added, "Just for that, you're buying dinner on the way home. And you better make it up to me for getting me all worked up. In fact, c'mere." He leaned in and they kissed once more.

"Better?" he asked when they parted.

"No, but it's a start," she said, hip-checking him as they headed down the sidewalk.

While the little spat had cleared Edd's head momentarily, it added another lingering fear in his mind. _And don't ever let me hear that you're planning to sabotage yourself like that for me._ Marie's words echoed as he wondered what her reaction would be if she knew he was jeopardizing his school career for her. Suppressing a shudder, he guided her to a nearby burger joint and tried to put off the upcoming week of finals.

**A/N:** I know, I know. This took a long time to get out. We'll try to do better. In the meantime, thank you for reading and please let us know what you think so far. Also, please stay safe and be sure to wash those hands.

**Pen:** *snaps on gloves and goggles* And stay far away from me!


	6. Chapter 6: All Going According to Ed

**A/N:**…I really don't have anything to say here.

**Sword:** As you shouldn't. So what if work is in the way? This is important!

Okay, okay. Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy belong to Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Let's get on with it.

**Chapter 6 – All Going According to Ed**

The day before the exams arrived faster than Edd had anticipated and soon he faced the school's front doors, running over the plan in his mind one last time. His head spinning, he rushed around the corner, out of sight of the students entering the building, tore open his paper bag lunch, and panted into it. The hyperventilation made his vision dim and stars danced momentarily amongst the grass at his feet.

With great effort, he slowed his breathing and leaned back against the brick wall. _You can do this._ He took one last draw of the sweet summer air, hitched up his backpack high on his shoulders, and marched into school.

Along the way to first period, he caught Ed and Eddy, both standing separate with May and Lee. All four noticed him and they exchanged subtle nods that nobody noticed between the swarming crowds.

Edd plopped down in first period and stared at the clock. 7:12. _Good, good._ He drummed his hands on the desk, watching his classmates file in. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed until he checked the clock again. 7:14. _Be there soon._ The teacher entered and set-up his lesson plan for their review.

Edd glanced at the clock again. 12:00. He shook his head. He now sat in a completely different class and everyone was leaving for lunch. Rubbing his eyes, his stomach cramped and churned. Where had the time gone? He must have been lost in a fog for the whole morning.

_Probably the only way I could stay calm_, he reasoned, stowing away his books. He pretended to have trouble zipping up his belongings and hung back, waiting until the other students and teacher had left. Once they were clear of the threshold, he stopped messing with the zippers and shuffled along after them.

At an intersection, he cut off from the crowd, steering right while they went left to the lunchroom. Rounding into the next empty hallway, he could see his plotted route in his mind. A left, straight to the end of the hall, and another right, and the classroom would be on his immediate right. Simple.

He turned left and screeched to a half. At the far end of the hallway, Kevin stood at a row of lockers, inspecting some newly added graffiti.

Edd's breathing hitched and he fumbled for his paper bag again. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a restroom a few steps ahead. Taking quick strides, he burst in and pushed the door closed.

Carefully, he listened to the hallway outside. He heard faint plops, like shoes strolling down the corridor. They grew louder, encroaching on the restroom, and Edd hurriedly backed away from the door. His arm reached out, swiping at air until he found a door stall. Pulling it open, he squeezed in and locked it behind him.

When the restroom door opened, Edd held his breath and took stock of the narrow stall. _Curse public restroom layouts!_ He was almost standing in the toilet itself for how little room he had. His face pressed above the stall's latch, he saw a shock of red hair through the slit and a leering face.

"Oh, dooork," Kevin called low, beating on the door stall next to Edd's own stall. "I saw you run in here. You're supposed to be at lunch." He stooped and checked under the stall door he had hammered on and frowned.

As quietly as he could, Edd crept onto the toilet seat in his own stall, suppressing the urge to look at the odd stains and discolorations on it. He checked his wristwatch. Five minutes gone. He couldn't waste any time.

Kevin stopped in front of Edd's stall and checked. The trembling boy crouched, keeping his head out of the open air, and his shoes far away from the edge of the toilet seat. A pain ran up his back the longer Edd stood there, sweat pouring down his brow.

Eventually, Kevin moved onto the last stall and Edd sighed into his hand. He allowed himself to straighten a little, working a kink out of his back, and listened to Kevin enter the last stall. _C'mon, hurry up and leave._

But Kevin didn't leave. In fact, there was no more sound. Edd strained his ear and looked at the crack above the latch. He couldn't see Kevin anywhere, but he was sure he hadn't left yet.

_Then where…-_

"Gotcha, dork." Edd's head shot up and met Kevin's evil grin. Hopping off the toilet, Edd fumbled with the latch and threw the door open. Yet it was too late. Kevin had hopped the barrier, landed on the toilet with athletic ease, and shoulder-tackled Edd to the floor.

Edd tried to squirm and push away from Kevin, but the hall monitor drove a knee into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. His limbs limp, Edd didn't have the strength to fight back and Kevin dug his knee into Edd's stomach.

"What are you up to?" he demanded.

"N-Nothing," Edd wheezed, grabbing Kevin's knee and trying in vain to lift it off.

"Yeah, right," he said. "First the short dork is skulking around this morning, and now here you are when you should be at lunch. I know you three are up to something." His comment about Eddy shook Edd, who forgot about the knee. Kevin caught on and smiled wide. "That's right. I'm onto you. So what is it? Maybe the graffiti out there? Planning to hit all the lockers for an end of year prank?"

"I promise, there's nothing going on," Edd said. "I was, just, just-"

" 'Just, just,'" Kevin mocked. "Just what?"

"Just feeling ill," Edd said. "So I came in here."

Kevin appeared to consider the excuse for a moment, then leaned in close to his face. "Why not use the one near the lunchroom then?"

He had Edd there, and the boy laying on the ground couldn't come up with a quick lie. Kevin sat up and flicked his eyes to the sink and mirrors, then back down to Edd. He rolled off, grabbed Edd by the shirt, and lifted him to his feet.

"You know, I owe you and your girlfriend for the other night," Kevin said and followed it with a hard punch to the gut. If Edd had had trouble breathing before, now he couldn't even suck up any air. "Looks like you got a little something on your face," Kevin said. "Can't take you to the principal's office looking like that."

Cupping his hand, Kevin pumped out a handful of soap from the soap dispenser, smeared it over Edd's face, and held him under the sink. "Drink up," he said, turning on the water and running it over Edd.

Soap and rushing water singed Edd's nostrils, setting them aflame. Too late to close his mouth and nose, he sputtered and choked, coughing up water and spit as Kevin shut off the faucet. "There, all clean," Kevin said smugly, pushing Edd out the restroom door.

"Edward? Kevin?" Both boys looked up at Edd's Chemistry teacher strolling down the hallway. "What's going on? Shouldn't you both be in the lunchroom?" Then he peered closer at Edd. "My goodness, Edward. Are you alright?"

"Not really," Edd said, shooting a subtle glare at Kevin. The churning water and soap seemed to have scrubbed away any lingering impediments for thinking up a quick excuse. "I was feeling a bit ill. I didn't think I could handle being anywhere near the smell of food, so I found a restroom far from it. Kevin," he nodded toward the boy clenching his jaw, "found me, helped me clean up, and offered to take me to the nurse's station."

The teacher looked to Kevin, as if to confirm the story. Edd could see Kevin's teeth grinding, squinting sourly like he was chewing on a bug, while the gears in his head ran through every outcome. If Kevin contradicted Edd, he would have to explain his suspicions and lack of evidence, as well as why Edd's face was still wet with traces of soap.

"Yes," Kevin finally said through a set smile. "I wanted to be sure he was alright."

"How very thoughtful of you," the teacher said, beaming. This did little to counter the raging inferno in Kevin's eyes, nor his fingers digging into Edd's shoulder as he turned him away. "Why don't I walk him down there instead? I'm heading in that direction. You go get something to eat."

Kevin's face darkened, but he didn't dare argue with a teacher. Instead, he released his deathgrip on Edd and nodded. "I'll swing by this way later," he said, giving his escaped quarry a grin that didn't come close to his eyes, "to check up on you."

"What a caring young man," the teacher said once Kevin left and rounded the corner. "Come along, Edward."

The trip to the nurse's station took Edd in the exact opposite direction of where he needed to be, but there was nothing he could do. He silently followed behind the teacher, hunching his shoulders and checking his watch every few seconds, silently praying he had enough time.

Once the teacher dropped Edd off at the nurse's station and explained his symptoms, Edd was whisked behind the only curtain dividing the patient area and the nurse's desk and helped him onto an examination table. "What seems to be the problem today?" she asked, sliding out a thermometer and sticking it in his mouth.

_A lot of things_, Edd thought. "Stomachache," he said.

She hummed to herself and took the thermometer out, checking it. "98.6, but you do look a little peaky," she said, holding his head and examining his eyes, nose, throat, and anywhere else she could. "Any other pains I should know about?"

"No."

"Well, might be pre-exam jitters," she said. "But if you're feeling too ill, I can call your parents. Or if you want, you can stay here a bit to rest, see how you feel after lunch."

"No, no, don't trouble yourself, really," he said, hopping off the examination table. "I think whatever it was, I got it up in the restroom."

"Alright," the nurse said, moving to her desk and jotting a quick note. "If you start feeling bad again, come right back to see me. Here's a note to get you out of class."

"Thanks," he said, taking it and stuffing it in his backpack. Checking the hall for Kevin first, he slipped out of the nurse's station and flat-out sprinted toward the Math and Biology classroom. After clearing the length of a couple of hallways, he slowed down, catching his breath and holding a stitch in his side.

_I might really need to throw up_, he thought, shuffling at a slower pace down the next corridor. As he approached the correct classroom, it was only then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out, keeping an eye out for Kevin, and snuck into the classroom, quietly shutting the door behind him.

The notifications read 15 missed calls and 20 new text messages, all from Lee and Ed. Before he could return either of their calls, Lee's name popped up on his phone, calling him once more.

"Hello," he said, answering the phone and making his way to the computer.

"Finally!" Lee's husky voice thundered. "I've been tryin' to get ahold of ya for the past 10 minutes!"

"Sorry, ran into some trouble. What happened?"

"We got a problem down here."

Immediately, his mind conjured worst scenarios: the cameras had been found; they had been caught by Kevin. Edd's stomach plummeted to his feet and he eyed the nearest trash can. He was definitely going to throw up now.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It would be better if you came down here," Lee said.

Edd tried to ask what she meant, but she had already hung up. He checked his watch. 15 minutes gone, and the computer in front of him still needed to be dealt with.

_Let's see._ _5 minutes there if I book it, 5 minutes back._ He should have enough time if he rushed things, but there was also no telling when the teacher would return.

Groaning and cursing his bad luck so far, he bolted from the classroom and to the gym, sure that he put the track and field team to shame with how fast he dashed.

Once he entered the gym, he could barely breath and his heart seemed to be using a jackhammer against his ribs. He trotted and limped the length of the gym and to the locker rooms, where Lee and Ed waited in the shadows.

"Wha…hang on," he said, bending over and grabbing his wobbly knees. He took several gulps of air, stood up, tried and failed again, then took several more deep swallows. "What," he said, wheezing and waving his arm in a circle, "is…explain."

"There's someone in the room," Ed said.

"Okay," Edd said, looking at the office door. "Okay, that's a problem. One of the coaches? Um, could we maybe distract him?"

"It's not one of the coaches," Lee said.

She grabbed Edd's arm, dragging him to the window looking into the office. Through the blinds, he spied a shock of blue hair sitting at the desk.

"Oh, crap."

**A/N:** Well, hopefully we're not in too much hot water.

**Sword:** *checks a boiling cauldron* What did you say?

Er, nevermind. Anyway, with any luck, we'll try to have more out as soon as time permits. In the meantime, thank you for reading and please let us know what you think so far. We'd love to hear from you.


End file.
